Chapter 1 The Beginning
"The rules for the first round of the competition are as follows..."
The host began to explain the key points of the competition,
Ten minutes later, he officially announced the start of the competition!
At the same time, the pendulum on the head of the Iron-Eating Beast sculpture began to count down!
One hundred spirit chefs took out their ingredients, preparing to cook their most signature dishes.
The rules of the God of Cookery Cup were quite simple: three rounds in total, with fifty people eliminated in the first round, forty in the second, and the champion God of Cookery decided in the third!
It only took three days to finish, much shorter than the Beast Tamer's process.
Moreover, the content of each round was the same: making a dish they were skilled at, to be judged by the arbiters from the World Spirit Chef Association.
The only thing to note was that the dishes in each round could not be the same, to prevent anyone from relying on a single trick to win...
"What will Dali make..."
Chen Shu stroked his chin, looking up at Dali above.
Dali was wearing a spirit chef uniform, with the character 'Hua' written on his chest, indicating the country of origin for the spirit chef.
His eyes were slightly closed, as if he were adjusting his state, completely ignoring the external influences.
"He's not going to slack off in the first round, is he..."
Chen Shu frowned. Time was limited.
If he took too long and didn't finish his dish, he would definitely be eliminated.
Fifteen minutes passed, and Zhang Dali remained still and composed.
Meanwhile, some spirit chefs had already finished their dishes and were waiting for the judges to taste them.
"Big brother..."
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Dali was the only one of the hundred contestants who hadn't moved.
He rubbed his head and muttered, "I really want to take down that clock and hang you up instead!"
"Buddy, what do you mean?"
A bystander nearby asked, not understanding.
Chen Shu glanced at him and said, "Because he's much better at posing than that thing..."
"..."
Just then, Zhang Dali finally opened his eyes!
With a flick of his right hand, he opened his portable cookware bag, filled with specialized utensils gifted by his mentor.
Zhang Dali entered a state of complete immersion, meticulously preparing his dish.
His movements were fluid and natural, completely unlike a recent college graduate.
For a moment, his actions drew considerable attention.
Even the contestants who had already finished their dishes looked over, their eyes filled with surprise.
In just twenty minutes, Zhang Dali had completed his dish: Spicy Meteor Fire Scales!
"So fast? No wonder he was so calm at the start."
Chen Shu was slightly surprised, he had really thought Dali was going to slack off.
Just then, his expression shifted, as if he had sensed something, and he looked in a certain direction.
He saw a middle-aged contestant with a calm expression, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
It was Master Mu Tu from the food street yesterday!
"Is he looking at me?"
Chen Shu frowned. He had clearly felt being watched just now, and he was sure it was this person!
"Could it be some enemy?"
He stroked his chin, a hint of murderous intent appearing in his eyes:
"How dare he peek at me, should I slit his throat tonight..."
But if he assassinated a contestant, the Four King-level experts would surely investigate, which would be another troublesome matter.
Chen Shu's eyes showed some hesitation.
Soon, the first round of the competition ended.
Except for two Golden Spirit Chefs who did not finish their dishes, the remaining ninety-eight successfully completed them.
Those two did not cause a fuss; they were already at the level of a one-round elimination...
The host came to the front and said, "Now, please welcome the judges from the World Spirit Chef Association!"
Ten white-haired old men appeared from the crowd,
They walked the red carpet and arrived at the judging seats at the very front.
These ten were the most senior spirit chefs in the world. Although they had retired from the culinary world, their prestige was still unmatched by others.
In addition to the ten judges, there were also the most advanced intelligent instruments, analyzing the nutrients and components of the ingredients, which also served as a reference for scoring.
The first contestant, Allen Brown, holding his dish, placed it on the judging table with anticipation.
He stood obediently to the side, respectful as a student. Before these ten people, they were all just juniors.
"King-level mid-grade dish, Steamed Snow Dragon Meat!"
The ten judges' expressions shifted as they began to taste. Soon, they gave their respective scores.
As senior spirit chefs, they were top gourmets themselves and could easily discern the level of the dishes.
In the end, the first spirit chef received a score of eighty-eight points, which was basically enough to advance smoothly.
The subsequent contestants went up one by one, some excited, some disappointed, and some with calm expressions.
The top spirit chefs from around the globe were like students waiting for their teacher's inspection.
Soon, it was Zhang Dali's turn!
"Not bad..."
The first elder looked at Zhang Dali and couldn't help but be amazed by his age.
Such a young contestant was indeed quite rare.
However, praise was praise; the actual results would still be determined by skill.
Once they had personal biases, it could ruin their reputation. At their level, they no longer cared about money, only their reputation, which was why they could serve as judges.
"Hmm? Perfect-grade dish?"
The first person judged the grade of the dish after just one bite.
For a moment, the people around were startled, not expecting to see a perfect-grade dish in the first round of the competition.
This was even rarer than King-grade dishes!
"I give it ninety points!"
"Not only is it a perfect dish, but Meteor Fire Fish is also extremely difficult to handle. The cooking difficulty is one level higher. I give it ninety-two points!"
"That high? You're overdoing it!"
The third judge frowned, took a bite as well,
The next second, he decisively gave a high score of ninety-four...
In the end, Dali's dish scored ninety-two points, which could be considered a rare excellent dish.
And while the God of Cookery Cup was being judged,
At the capital airport of Nanqing Country,
A man in black stepped off the plane.
His features were young, but his temples were already slightly white, making it difficult to determine his age.
More importantly, he had no presence at all, as if he were just a stone by the roadside, or a fallen leaf, attracting no attention.
The man's eyes were vacant, and he muttered to himself, "Chen Shu..."